OCCURRENCE OF ALLODAPA SUCTORIA IN A DOMESTIC FOWL
1
ISOLATION OF CRYPTOCOCCUS NEOFORMANS FROM A FERRET A 3-year-old hob Fichet Ferret was purchased by the owner of an aviary to reduce the number of mice which were attracted by the seeds used to feed the birds, predominantly finches. Pigeons were commonly attracted to the feeding area. The owner did not wish to use bait around the large cage (about the size of a double garage) and it was thought that the smell of hob ferret would be enough to deter the mice even if the ferret did not catch any. The concept appeared to work initially with the ferret sleeping by day, being mostly nocturnal by habit, and thus not interfering with the birds which rcjosted high in the aviary at night. After some weeks had elapsed the aviary owner suspected that the ferret was not eating the mice as the latter were not decreasing in number, but this was partly due to the wife of the owner petting and feeding the ferret. The idea was abandoned and the hob was taken over by a ferreter who found it relatively inactive and thought that the ferret might have snuffles. After about 3 weeks had elapsed the ferret died suddenly. Upon autopsy pneumonia was found and samples of tissue were sent to the laboratory for histopathological examination. Distemper was suspected as ferrets are highly susceptible and die quickly from this infection. In sections of lung examined at the laboratory a thick walled budding yeast was observed and infection with Cryrococcus neoformans was diagnosed. The latter is known to affect many domestic animals but to my knowledge no reports in a ferret have been reported previously, C. neoformans is known to be enhanced by creatinine which occurs in the excreta of pigeons and certain other birds and it seems likely that the ferret was exposed to this infection from contact with bird excreta around the aviary. My thanks go to Dr R. Peet, Department of Agriculture, Perth, Western Australia for carrying out the laboratory diagnosis. J. H. LEWINGTON, 5 Bullara Road, Craigie, Western Australia, 6025 27 November 1981 OCCURRENCE OF ALLODAPA SUCTORlA IN A DOMESTIC FOWL Subulurid nematodes have been described from a wide variety of hosts including fowls, turkeys, guinea fowl and related birds from many parts of the world but to our knowledge not previously from domestic galliform birds in Australia. Five worms (2 male and 3 female) fitting the available descriptions of Subulura brumpti were found in association with Heterakis gallinarum in the caecae of an'18-month-old fowl from a backyard flock in Mt. Isa, Queensland. Some measurements of the worms were as follows (mm). Males, body length 8.2, 7.0; oesophagus length including bulb 1.25, 1.15; cloaca1 sucker length 1.8, 1.7; spicules, equal 1.3, 1.2. Females, body length 9.5, 8.1, 7.1; oesophagus including bulb 1.20, 1.12, 0.95; tail 0.91, 0.87, 0.87. Although our specimens fit the available descriptions of S. brumpri, the species was transferred to the Genus Allodapa by Inglis (1958). Subsquently, Inglis (1964) considered A. brumpri to be a synonym of A . suctoria, stating that both species had been reported from a variety of hosts in Europe, Africa and South America and that he could find no reliable character for separating them as distinct species, in contrad- istinction to the earlier view held by Lopez-Neyra (1922, 1945). We have chosen to follow lnglis (1964) and identify our specimens as A. suctoria since this name has priority. A. soctoria is within the same superfamily, Subuluroidea, as H. gallinarum which it closely resembles macroscopically. This similarity may have resulted in specimens of A. sucroria being overlooked in the past; however, subsequent to this finding stored collections of H. gallinarum at this laboratory and the caecae of several other fowls from various localities in North Queensland have been examined but no more specimens of A. sucroria have been found. The importance of the Mt. Isa specimens is at this time not clear. One male and one female have been deposited in the collection (N.2.2.1.2) at the Department of Primary Industries, Animal Research Institute, Yeerongpilly, Queensland, 4105. Department of Primary Industries, Oonoonba Veterinary Laboratory, P.O. Box 1085, Townsville, Queensland, 4810 Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science, Division of Veterinary Sciences, Box 14, Rundle Street P.O., Adelaide, South Australia, 5000 R. PARKER, I. BEVEKIDGE, G. CAMPBELL. Department of Primary Industries, P.O. Box 1333, Mt. Isa, Queensland, 4825 24 January 1982 REFERENCES Inglis, W. G. (1958) - Proc. Zool. SOC. London. 130: 577. Inglis, W. G. (1964) - J. Helminrh. 38: 31. Lopez-Neyra, C. R. (1922) - Bol. SOC. esp. Hisr. nar. Lopez-Neyra, C. R. (1945) - Rev. iber. Parasit. 5: 271. 22: 402. 124 Australian Veterinary Journal, Vol. 58, March, 1982
Transcript of OCCURRENCE OF ALLODAPA SUCTORIA IN A DOMESTIC FOWL
ISOLATION OF CRYPTOCOCCUS NEOFORMANS FROM A FERRET
A 3-year-old hob Fichet Ferret was purchased by the owner of an aviary to reduce the number of mice which were attracted by the seeds used to feed the birds, predominantly finches. Pigeons were commonly attracted to the feeding area. The owner did not wish to use bait around the large cage (about the size of a double garage) and it was thought that the smell of hob ferret would be enough to deter the mice even if the ferret did not catch any.
The concept appeared to work initially with the ferret sleeping by day, being mostly nocturnal by habit, and thus not interfering with the birds which rcjosted high in the aviary at night. After some weeks had elapsed the aviary owner suspected that the ferret was not eating the mice as the latter were not decreasing in number, but this was partly due to the wife of the owner petting and feeding the ferret. The idea was abandoned and the hob was taken over by a ferreter who found it relatively inactive and thought that the ferret might have snuffles. After about 3 weeks had elapsed the ferret died suddenly. Upon autopsy pneumonia was found and samples
of tissue were sent to the laboratory for histopathological examination. Distemper was suspected as ferrets are highly susceptible and die quickly from this infection. I n sections of lung examined at the laboratory a thick walled budding yeast was observed and infection with Cryrococcus neoformans was diagnosed. The latter is known to affect many domestic animals but to my knowledge no reports in a ferret have been reported previously,
C. neoformans is known to be enhanced by creatinine which occurs in the excreta of pigeons and certain other birds and it seems likely that the ferret was exposed to this infection from contact with bird excreta around the aviary.
My thanks go to Dr R . Peet, Department of Agriculture, Perth, Western Australia for carrying out the laboratory diagnosis.
J . H . LEWINGTON, 5 Bullara Road, Craigie, Western Australia, 6025 27 November 1981
OCCURRENCE OF ALLODAPA SUCTORlA IN A DOMESTIC FOWL
Subulurid nematodes have been described from a wide variety of hosts including fowls, turkeys, guinea fowl and related birds from many parts of the world but to our knowledge not previously from domestic galliform birds in Australia.
Five worms (2 male and 3 female) fitting the available descriptions of Subulura brumpti were found in association with Heterakis gallinarum in the caecae of an'18-month-old fowl from a backyard flock in Mt. Isa, Queensland. Some measurements of the worms were as follows (mm). Males, body length 8.2, 7.0; oesophagus length including bulb 1.25, 1.15; cloaca1 sucker length 1.8, 1.7; spicules, equal 1.3, 1.2. Females, body length 9.5, 8.1, 7.1; oesophagus including bulb 1.20, 1.12, 0.95; tail 0.91, 0.87, 0.87.
Although our specimens fit the available descriptions of S. brumpri, the species was transferred to the Genus Allodapa by Inglis (1958). Subsquently, Inglis (1964) considered A . brumpri to be a synonym of A . suctoria, stating that both species had been reported from a variety of hosts in Europe, Africa and South America and that he could find no reliable character for separating them as distinct species, in contrad- istinction to the earlier view held by Lopez-Neyra (1922, 1945). We have chosen to follow lnglis (1964) and identify our specimens as A . suctoria since this name has priority.
A. soctoria is within the same superfamily, Subuluroidea, as H. gallinarum which it closely resembles macroscopically. This similarity may have resulted in specimens of A. sucroria being overlooked in the past; however, subsequent to this finding stored collections of H . gallinarum at this laboratory and the caecae of several other fowls from various localities
in North Queensland have been examined but no more specimens of A. sucroria have been found. The importance of the Mt. Isa specimens is a t this time not clear.
One male and one female have been deposited in the collection (N.2.2.1.2) at the Department of Primary Industries, Animal Research Institute, Yeerongpilly, Queensland, 4105.
Department of Primary Industries, Oonoonba Veterinary Laboratory, P.O. Box 1085, Townsville, Queensland, 4810
Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science, Division of Veterinary Sciences, Box 14, Rundle Street P.O., Adelaide, South Australia, 5000
R . PARKER,
I . BEVEKIDGE,
G . CAMPBELL. Department of Primary Industries, P.O. Box 1333, Mt. Isa, Queensland, 4825 24 January 1982
REFERENCES Inglis, W. G. (1958) - Proc. Zool. SOC. London. 130: 5 7 7 . Inglis, W. G . (1964) - J . Helminrh. 38: 31. Lopez-Neyra, C. R. (1922) - Bol. SOC. esp. Hisr. nar.
Lopez-Neyra, C. R. (1945) - Rev. iber. Parasit. 5 : 271. 22: 402.
124 Australian Veterinary Journal, Vol. 5 8 , March, 1982
